Hi guys. I need some help hashing out a proper solution as to how armor should be handled in a game of mine.

Now, armor worn by the PCs (with access to TL6 through TL8 gear most of the time, higher on rare occasions) will be treated it as it should be: benefits and drawbacks in all their respective variations.

However, I don't envision the enemy's troops (TL9+ with some superscience showing up at points) being a "fair" challenge when their armor works just like the PCs.

The problem stems from the fact that the armor is just too good at certain grades: the PCs will need to be crack shots (hitting less armored spots and/or chinks in armor) and/or possibly tote around a ton of heavy AND rare weaponry/ammo (such as APDS or even APEP) just to hurt those wearing it. That the enemy consistently has access to better weaponry, numbers, and higher technology makes any firefight incredibly one sided.

Cranking up the Character Point totals doesn't work, as I want the PCs to be beginning adventurer/resistance level. To that end, i'm looking to a rule similar to the "Cinematic" switches presented in GURPS's Campaigns books: "Stormtrooper Armor".

"Stormtrooper Armor" would basically mean that any armor worn by the enemy is totally inefficient (DR 0, and only for show) or nearly so (DR 5 at most). Though this would quickly get the feel I want, it makes the armor *too* bad. It's better than using armor stats as-is with the enemy, but I feel better a compromise could be reached.

Any suggestions?

Leave the armor as is, with the high tech values. But make it a battle suit design. So it can be stolen and operated by human warriors. A smart ambush or two, in order to take out a small group. Then using their own tech against them.

It was like the whole staple of the BattleTech series.

Once they acquire a few suits, then it's a question of resource management and getting enough additional suits and the supplies necessary to maintain them to actually fight back.

The point of a game like THIS, with such a one-sided layout- is for the players to be smart enough to PREVENT a firefight, since it is so one-sided. Ambush tactics, traps, and sabotage are the name of this kind of war.

You have no idea how much I want to play in a game like this, now.

Oh, the armor is not powered or an exo-skeleton of any sort: it's simply either a vest, or full body suit.

Well, change that. Seriously. Make the gear viable for theft and requiring of maintainance. And you're set for an awesome plot.

Also- ambush tactics all the way. If these are humanoid enemies, a simple avalanche could easily defeat a large number of them with relatively little effort. Unless they have augmented armor types.

Put me in the game and see how long the tech difference stays around. I'll lure them into attacking a location, then blow the whole damn place up with them inside. Force them to fight in a sewer complete with snare and deadfall traps. And possibly trapping them in an overflow bay and then flooding it.

Then (after a very thorough cleaning) wear their stuff.

Agreed. The point should be to avoid the firefight in this circumstance. If they get into a straight up fight, the PCs should lose, because the higher tech wins. So, one thing to do is what Tana suggests: encourage cleverness, sabotage, and guerilla style fighting.

The other thing to do is make the enemy want to capture the PCs alive. If they only want to kill the PCs, then you have no backup plan when the PCs screw up.

Just wait until I get ahold of a living one.

The geneva convention is for people who can afford to lose.

Try this.

The armor made by the enemy is normal versus most weapon types, but has a fatal flaw in it. What armor type are the NPC using.

Allow the PC's more leeway when it comes to thinking up how to handle the situation. Low tech booby traps are just as effective against ultra tech soldiers as it is against animals. A pit trap with spikes at the bottom are lethal unless your dr is super high.

Bouncing betty becomes your best friend.

Traps are nice, but you can't always trap an enemy.

I'm looking for a genre convention of sorts here, guys: guerrilla warfare is another topic altogether.

So just make their armor whatever you think is fair, and describe it as looking all fancy? Maybe the reason their armor is considered "more advanced" is that better materials make it weigh less, not because it's actually better protection. Maybe it uses energy fields instead of layers of kevlar, but it's still only DR 3 because enough energy for DR 30 requires a tank engine to provide.

I'm with sage... if you don't like the other options, just make it whatever you think is fair. That's the beauty of GURPS, change values, move points, balance item, the end.